South Medford girls falter in MLK Showcase opener

STOCKTON, Calif. — Gabby Green scored 20 of her game-high 29 points in the first half to lead St. Mary's High of Berkeley, Calif., to a 58-50 girls basketball win over South Medford during the first day of the Martin Luther King Showcase on Saturday.

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Posted Jan. 20, 2013 at 12:10 AM
Updated Jan 20, 2013 at 12:31 AM

Posted Jan. 20, 2013 at 12:10 AM
Updated Jan 20, 2013 at 12:31 AM

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STOCKTON, Calif. — Gabby Green scored 20 of her game-high 29 points in the first half to lead St. Mary's High of Berkeley, Calif., to a 58-50 girls basketball win over South Medford during the first day of the Martin Luther King Showcase on Saturday.

Green's big first half helped St. Mary's take a 34-24 halftime lead. The Panthers (11-3) trailed by nine points heading into the fourth quarter and got as close as four points in the final frame, but St. Mary's held on to snap South Medford's six-game winning streak.

Kylie Towry scored 13 points, including three 3-pointers, and Andee Ritter added 12 to pace the Panthers, who lost for the first time since Dec. 28 to Hoover (Ala.) in the semifinals of the Title IX Holiday Classic in Washington, D.C.

Julissa Tago chipped in nine points and Ashley Bolston had eight for South Medford.

"Our issue was that it was one of the poorest shooting performances in the first two quarters that we've had in two years," South Medford head coach Tom Cole said. "We had a lot of shots. We didn't make any."

Cole added that the Panthers came out flat defensively, but picked it up in the second half. It wasn't enough.

"Against a team like that you can't afford to play any less than four quarters of solid basketball," Cole said. "We're trying to walk away with this recognizing that this is another reminder how important playing consistently and aggressively for four quarters is."

The Panthers pick up play in the MLK Showcase on Monday when they take on host St. Mary's of Stockton, Calif., which is ranked seventh in the MaxPreps Freeman Rankings.